• Vote for Plus One in the Gazette’s online poll (click here and scroll down, in the right-hand column).

• Forward this and ask your friends and colleagues to do the same.

• Write to the City Council and ask them to pass Plus One. Click here for a list of City Council Members and contact information. You can also email all council members at allcouncil@springsgov.com.

• Write a letter to the editor and post on online comment voicing your support for the plan. Send to opinion@gazette.com.

City Council members pay attention to these, so your letters and vote MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Read the story and take the poll here:  http://www.gazette.com/articles/city-90978-employees-href.html

You can find some talking points in Barb Van Hoy’s comment posted in the Gazette’s online comment section, reprinted here:

“The “Plus One” policy being proposed by Citizens Project would allow all city employees to buy into the city’s employee health insurance plan for one family member, if they are not already eligible for benefits for a spouse or dependent children. It is not really accurate to call this a “same-sex benefits” plan because that is only one of several types of qualifying family members. Employees could add an adult dependent child, a dependent parent, a domestic partner, or dependent grandparent. The employee would pay the full premium, rather than be subsidized by the city as current family members are (and as the 2003 policy did for same-sex couples that cost the cit $6,000). That’s one reason it is budget-neutral (the premium covers the full per-participant cost in the health plan.) The other reason it is cost-neutral is that the demographic population as a whole that is projected to buy in is not expected to increase the overall costs (based on the analyses of benefits experts).

Now is the time for Colorado Springs to begin catching up to the private sector, as well as the most successful cities across the country by adopting better, more inclusive employment practices. Whatever your personal opinion on same-sex couples, or single mothers or 35 year-old kids living with mom & dad, the fact is that our society includes a huge diversity of families. Competitive employers do right by their employees by adopting more inclusive plans, and our city should to. Attracting the best employees will get the best use out of our limited tax dollars. In addition, it is not government’s role to enforce a religious view of relationships on its employees, so arguments labeling some people’s families as “immoral” are moot. Government should treat all citizens equally. The Plus One plan doesn’t get all the way there, but it is an improvement, expands access to health care, treats all employees more equally, makes the city a more competitive employer, and won’t cost taxpayers a dime. Seems like a pretty good deal to me.”

(Moral of the story: Yes on 2C!)

Watch it here.

2009 Colorado Springs City Council

The Colorado Springs  City Council will be selecting a replacement for Council Member Jerry Heimlicher, who is resigning to move home to Tennessee. Jerry has been a dedicated advocate for disenfranchised residents, and a voice for diversity and equality.  In choosing a successor, the City Council should honor the voters in District 3 who elected Jerry by picking a replacement who shares Jerry’s passion for making Colorado Springs a welcoming and accessible community for ALL residents.

Let them know you think so! You can send a message to all City Council members by clicking here.